True Drama

Emma Freeman

With a BFA in Theater and a background in classical drama, Emma was an obvious choice to play Helen. “I loved playing the Bacchae Helen. My character is a classics grad student who is very animated by the river of ideas that flow to us from antiquity.” Helen describes it to officer Walsh as “not living one life but a corridor of lives – it’s the life electric.” The whole idea of a river of ideas captures the fluid nature of the Dionysian. So does going for a midnight swim. Helen swims in a Greenwich lake with her fellow Bacchae – one of the rituals glimpsed in the film. Emma explains, “It was wonderful to be part of this thoughtful art film – and I hope viewers are seduced into the immortal river of thought – because in the end, only thought and art last forever.”

To find out more about Emma Freeman, visit www.emmapfreeman.com

SUMMARY

Strange Bacchic disturbances in the woods protesting a local horror movie prompt a police investigation. A shadowy figure emerges. Calling himself the God of Drama, he believes that he can achieve the seemingly impossible goal of returning drama to its original purpose – of preparing citizens for leadership in democracy. As the horror movie spirals out of control, and the Bacchae are consumed in violence - can officer Ailish Walsh discern the truth before a gruesome Greek drama unfolds?

Director James Thomas creates a Greek tragedy for our time. A horror story that looks at the original role of drama – as the companion invention of democracy – to shed light on how modern media is still working in our lives, in hidden ways, to rip us apart. True Drama is an alarm – a rare moment of clarity – a terrifying jolt - and an invitation to enjoy the true transcendental power of drama to help us envision a better Democracy.